One is a Czech model-turned-activist, and the other a student who hails from Spain. Their lives changed forever on 26 December 2004, when they were caught up in the tragedy of the Indian Ocean Tsunami. Both have become tireless campaigners for disaster risk reduction.

The future of Fukushima Prefecture dramatically changed on 11 March 2011. A 9.0 magnitude earthquake off Japan’s eastern seaboard unleashed a powerful tsunami that triggered a devastating nuclear meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi Power Plant.

The risk of dying in a hurricane or flood is lower today than it was 20 years ago, in most parts of the world. In Haiti, however, the toll of Hurricane Matthew has already reportedly passed 1,000. The issue of how to reach countries and communities left behind and struggling to reduce their disaster mortality rates was the focus of a meeting at United Nations Headquarters, held ahead of International Day for Disaster Reduction.

Governments at the UN Summit on Refugees and Migrants have adopted a landmark declaration that underlines the role of environmental degradation, climate change and disasters alongside conflict as drivers of the ongoing crisis.

Unplanned urbanisation, environmental degradation, and fundamentally climate change, are increasingly intensifying natural hazards and triggering a significant proportion of the total number of forced displacement of people globally.

Extreme weather events are becoming the “new normal” and climate change is compromising people’s resilience, meaning that humanitarian action and development must be part of the same process, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Mr. Jan Eliasson has told a meeting on disaster risk reduction.

Strong leadership is critical to ensure that no one is left behind amid global efforts to achieve sustainable development by 2030, the United Nations’ top disaster risk reduction official has told a high-level global forum.

World Tsunami Awareness Day will be commemorated this year for the first time, and every year thereafter, on 5 November. The Japanese Permanent Mission at the UN in New York marked the launch with an event which also marked the first anniversary of the adoption of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.

The head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, Margareta Wahlström, today welcomed the passing of a resolution yesterday by the UN General Assembly which recognizes November 5 as World Tsunami Awareness Day. The resolution was led by Japan and Chile.

Governments, civil society and the private sector are delivering on the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and building resilience to climate-related disasters through efforts to protect ecosystems and biodiversity.

The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction is a key element in global efforts to stem the rise in humanitarian crises and shape a new global development and climate change agenda over the next 15 years, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said here today.

Plans to bring early warning systems to some of the world’s poorest countries and thereby curb the risk of disasters have cleared a new milestone, thanks to a French-spurred initiative unveiled at the United Nations today.

The UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction and its existing private sector partners have called on businesses around the globe to join a new initiative that aims to raise resilience in the face of natural and man-made hazards.

Disaster risk reduction needs to be included squarely in humanitarian aid programmes and development policies, given its power to save lives and money, delegates at the United Nations sustainable development summit heard today.

Efforts to reduce the threat posed by natural and man-made hazards will get a fresh boost this weekend when world leaders adopt a new global sustainable development agenda that aims to eradicate extreme poverty, promote prosperity and people’s well-being, while protecting the environment.

The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction is “a fundamental stepping stone marking this year of global action for people and the planet,” according to UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon in remarks to a gathering of Speakers of Parliament from around the world.

As this September’s anticipated UN Summit to adopt the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) draws near, intergovernmental discussions in New York are focusing on how their implementation will be measured and tracked.

The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction has designated the City of Hoboken, New Jersey, USA, as a Role Model City of the Making Cities Resilient campaign for its flood risk management practices. These include plans to retain over a million gallons of stormwater runoff through green infrastructure.

Eighteen students at Saint Peter’s University in Jersey City, New Jersey, United States, have just completed the university’s first-ever course on disaster risk reduction, in part as a result of Hurricane Sandy which killed at least 117 people and caused $65 billion worth of damage in the US alone.

Following on a statement by the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that “economic losses are out of control and can only be reduced in partnership with the private sector,” the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) today launched the R!SE Initiative to mainstream disaster risk management into corporate planning and investment decision-making.

The vital role of cities as engines of climate resilience has been recognised with the appointment of the former mayor of New York City, Michael R. Bloomberg, as Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change, by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

“Disaster risk reduction should not be seen only as an imperative to protecting investments in development, but also as an opportunity for a transformative shift towards resilient development.”
This rousing statement from disaster-prone Bangladesh was one of several calls from governments for disaster and climate risk considerations to be incorporated at every stage of development.
The seventh session of the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals heard consistent support for the integration of disaster risk management within each sector that may be addressed by the goals, such as poverty eradication, energy, health, food security.

Exactly a year ago, Sandy proved to be the most destructive hurricane of the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season, severely impacting lives and economies in seven countries.
For the United States, it was the second-costliest hurricane in its history and affected the entire eastern seaboard, causing an alarming economic bill of up to $50 billion. New York City was one of the worst affected.
On the anniversary of Hurricane Sandy this week, however, the city appears occupied with its future rather than its past.
Heeding the signs of a changing climate, in June this year, New York City released its plan to protect the city from coastal hazards and climate change impacts called A Stronger, More Resilient New York.